Gregor And The Prophecy of Death
by standupphilosepher
Summary: Sequel to the codeofclaw i decided to go more into the original reason the underlanders exist with a hidden prophecy that predicts the destruction of the overland. revised and edited as of sept 25 so if read befor that i recomend re-reading
1. going back

I didn't really like how the books ended or that they ended at all so I started a sort of sequel and decided to go more into the original reason the underlanders exist with a hidden prophecy that predicts the destruction of the overland. And I thought 12 year olds's falling in love and fighting wars was a bit young so I changed Gregor and Luxa to 15 years old instead of 12. No one else is different. i will most likely be revising all chapters atleast once after i post them so if i have just posted the chapter that day or the day before i recomend waiting a day or 2 for the final.

characters belong to suzzan collins story belongs to me

It had been three months. He had been depressed the whole time. Gregor could not stop thinking about his friends back in the underland. Gregors mom had put central park off limits and again the laundry room to prevent him from returning. And he was dyeing to see Howard, Merith, Ripred, Vikus, and even good old Temp who had been a loyal cockroach body guard to his baby sister boots. But the person he missed the most was Luxa. They had both revealed there affection toward each other just before he had to go home, knowing he may never see her again. He ached to see her again

Gregor could simply not stand it anymore. In the overland he could not go outside in anything but long pants and a long sleeved shirt even on the hottest days of summer because of all his battle scars from fighting giant rats, ants and man eating plants. But he just could not keep his mind off Luxa. When he first came home he thought he could just deal with never seeing her again, but as time went on he thought about her more and more. How much he loved her, how happy he was when he was around her.

He had to go back. He knew his mom would never allow it so he was going to have to lie. But he just wanted a visit anyway. It was only ten A.M. and he could be back before anyone got worried.

His mom had made a vow lever to let him go back and made him promise he wouldn't either. His mom had planed on them all going to Virginia to there old family farm.

Gregors family had not yet ended up going back to Virginia. Gregors grandmother had been in the hospital off and on and was to week to travel. She had been having heart problems since just before he returned home and had to be taken to the hospital repeatedly since then. Also his seven year old sister, Lizzy had begged there mom not to make them go, repeatedly. Though she was originally the first one who wanted to go, then they returned to the overland she suddenly changed her mind and refused to go.

Gregor walked out into the living room from his bedroom.

"Mom?" he said. "I'm gona go for a walk up to the museum for a while." She knew he loved to go there. His dad always used to take him there when he was younger but right now he was still sick from being a prisoner to the rats un the underland for years. Some days he was better but today he was having a bad day. He was as skinny as a skeleton and shaking from head to toe curled up on the couch like a potato bug.

"Okay" she yelled from the kitchen. "But cover up, and don't be out past six. And remember to be safe".

He went into his room and put on a long sleeved shirt, stuck some money in his pants pocket that Mrs. Cormaci his neighbor had given him for helping her around her apartment. Then he headed toward the door.

"Remember, I don't want you going near central park", she said for the hundredth time. She got nervous every time Gregor left the apartment, but she knew she couldn't just keep him locked up there his whole life.

"Okay mom" he lied.

When he was outside he grabbed a cab and headed for the park.

He paid the cabbie when they arived, and then immediately went over to the slab of rock covering one of the few gates to the underland. He looked around to see no one was around and moved the rock to climb down the stairs. He could see everything around him thanks to his echolocation skills he had learned during the war against the rats in the underland. Even with echolocation though, he jumped at every noise and felt a chill down his spine whenever he saw some bugs or rats scurry by. He had been ambushed by giant rats in this tunnel before and barely escaped with his life; and though the humans were making peace with the rats he could never be sure all of them were willing to work together.

The top part tunnel was human made and most likely abandoned many years ago. But as he progressed down the surroundings turned more into natural formations of rock.

When he arrived at the opening to the waterway he suddenly realized how much of an idiot he had just been. He had completely forgotten he needed a bat to get down. How could he forget that, something so important? He should have left a note at the laundry grate. That was usually how he used to arrange rides to regalia, the huge beautiful stone city where the pale skinned underlanders lived. He felt his heart drop, as he sat down at the edge of the hole and cursed to himself. He had been so worked up about getting down here he spaced it.

Just then he heard a quiet whooshing noise, like a distant flapping of wings. It got slightly louder as seconds passed. Gregor look down the hole and to his relief he saw someone on a bat just below the opening. His heart jumped back up to its normal position and he yelled as loud as he could. "Hey you, up here!"

The person on the bat tilted there head up and saw Gregor leaning over the edge of the hole. The bat turned upward and flew up to him.

"Overlander!" said a familiar face. It was Howard, Luxas cousin on Nike the black and white striped bat princess. They had been getting along well since they had met "What are you doing here?"

"I can tell you on the ride back to Regalia if you can give me a ride and aren't to busy" Gregor said, thrilled to have been so lucky to run into him.

"We were just on patrol" said Howard, "but I am sure we could fly you back to regalia. We were almost finished and there is not much to patrol for since the end of the war.

"Climb on" purred Nike, as she set down in front of him.

Gregor climbed onto Nike, and told Howard about how he had to come visit his friends and about how lonely he felt, and how much he missed all of them.

Howard knew he mostly just wanted to see Luxa. He knew his feelings for her, but he said nothing about it.

"Man, am I glad to see you" exclaimed Gregor. "I had completely forgotten to send a note before coming down here."

They exchanged conversation about what had been going on over the past three months, nothing much new. They were still negotiating with the rats but they seemed to be acting fairly co-operative.

Gregor felt the moth barrier brush past his face like streams of silk hanging on a doorway as they passed through the cities alarm system. He was blinded by the light coming from the city and had to cover his eyes as they adjusted. The city was lit by hundreds of torches which made it seem like it was bathed in sunlight.

When they arrived in high hall Vikus was walking by with some scrolls in his hands and came out to meet them. He gave a small gasp when he saw Gregor climb off Nike.

"Gregor!" Vikus said with wonder.

Vikus seemed to have recovered very well from the stroke he had had during the war before Gregor left to kill the bane. Only his left eyebrow still drooped a little bit, but the rest of him seemed to be doing very well.

"Hey Vikus" said Gregor casually. "You look like your doing better."

"What brings you to Regalia?" exclaimed Vikus. "I had thought you were to move away, and would not be able to return."

"Well we haven't been able to move because my grandmas to sick. I really just wanted to see all you again" Said Gregor, "It's been so long, I was starting to miss you guys."

"Come" said Vikus "My grandchildren and I were about to dine together. You are welcome to join us."

"That'd be great said Gregor."

As they made there way to the dinning hall, through the grey stone hallways of the palace, Luxa stepped out of a room as they passed, looking worn out and tired. She gasped when she saw Gregor, then gave a big smile and ran up to Gregor and embraced him in a bear hug, nearly squeezing the life out of him. Gregor felt a rush of happiness as she ran up to him and he hugged her back. She felt warm, she was dressed in the usual silvery silken underland clothing and she had been growing out her hair, which was hanging down around her shoulders and felt even softer than the silk clothes she was wearing. She smelled like flowers which was weird because Gregor had never seen any flowers growing in or around Regalia.

Luxa had changed much since he had first met her. Gregors first impression of her when he had met her in the arena outside the city was she was stuck up, and she was. She had teased his little sister insulted the cockroaches and over all acted like she was better than everyone. Back then she wouldn't have even thought of hugging a lowly overlander boy. But since she had been stranded in the jungle, been through a war and fallen in love with him she had learned and matured much. She was now a respected leader for the people of Regalia. "Gregor, when did you return!" she said.

"Just now" he replied, as Luxa released him from the hug, noticing Vikus giving her a disapproving look. Gregor knew the queen having a relationship with an overlander was not acceptable but word of them had pretty much gotten out since Sollovet had locked him up in the dungeon for going to rescue her, then finding the picture of them dancing together in his back pocket. "Vikus said I could eat with you guys."

"I was just heading to the dinning hall", Said Luxa.

He was so happy to see her again, and was also exited to again see hazard. The half lander boy he had met in the jungle when he was on the quest for the cure to the plague. He was with Luxa whenever he had the chance since she had adopted him as a brother after his father had died in the jungle defending the Star shade plant that was supposed to be the cure.

When they arrived at the dinning hall Vikus invited Howard to eat with them. But he had other duties to attend to, and said goodbye and walked down a hallway to the right. They entered and saw hazard sitting patiently at the end of the big dinning table. When he noticed them he jumped up with a smile on his face, and ran over to Gregor and gave him a big hug. "Your back!" he said, excitedly.

"Hey Hazard" said Gregor, "how've you been doing."

Hazard told him, as they sat down; about a new friend named Nexi that he had met a month ago in the city, and that he had been taking cooking lessons from the palace chefs.

Two young male underlanders in white silk clothing and short silver hair soon came in with platters of food for them and set them down in the middle of the table.

They ate and made casual conversation about the recent goings on in the underland. The humans and rats had made peace and were negotiating who got what land. Vikus was expected to make a full recovery and has been recovering remarkably fast since the war with the rats had ended. Though, he still had a sad and tired look on his face. He had dark bags under his eyes and seemed to be Gregor knew he was mourning his wife Solovet, who had flown into an ambush during the war and was killed.

After they ate, Vikus said he had to go take care of some scrolls (he still had the ones he was carrying earlier) and left the room and Luxa invited Gregor and hazard to join her in her living quarters.

When they arrived hazard went into Luxas personal "relief room" which was the underland version of a bathroom. The room was made of stone but decorated with brightly colored curtains and tapestries. When he disappeared through the door way, Gregor was about to say something when Luxa turned to him and planted a kiss on his lips, and again wrapped him in a big hug. He felt a wave of happiness wash over him, and warmth grow in his cheeks. This was the happiest he'd felt in along time.

"I thought you would never return!" she said, sort of half happy he was there, half angry he left.

"So did I" he said "I just couldn't stay away any longer, I missed all of you to much. I don't think I could have kept going much longer if I didn't. My life isn't the same anymore." It was the truth; Gregor was becoming more and more depressed as time went on. From not being able to see his friends, to not being able to where anything but long pants and long sleeved shirts, even on hot days. "But I will have to go back soon, before my family starts to worry. They don't know I'm here."

"Then we will have to make the best of the time that we now have" she said.

Just then Dulcet came in looking for hazard, which had just come out of the bathroom. "Hazard would you like to come aid me in feeding some nibbler pups?" she said.

"Yes!" he blurted out and ran up to dulcet nearly knocking over a chair with excitement.

Dulcet gave a small bow to him and Luxa and walked out of the room, hazard following close behind.

Luxa walked over to a fireplace with a few chairs around it and sat down. "Well I guess it's just you and me" said Gregor; who followed suit and sat down in the chair next to her feeling the warmth of the fire wash over him as the orange flames danced across the fireplace. There was no wood so he guessed it must be fueled by oil or gas.

"So how's life been going for you" he asked.

"Things have been better since we established peace with the gnawers." She said, "But it has been very tiring with so many negotiations and meetings." Luxa had been given early reign over regalia after the war even though she was only 15; because she had displayed courage and good judgment as of recently, and they really needed her to step up at the time, to help with negotiations. "How has your life been in the overland?"

"Boring" he said "Its not much fun without you" Luxa smiled at him and felt her cheeks heat up as she blushed at his statement. She turned her head away trying to hide it.

"I to was beginning to miss you" she replied. "I was actually considering leaving a note for you to meet me at one of the gateways." They sat in silence staring at the fireplace for a while, letting the hot fire warm them.

They then decided to visit the museum of overland items and see if he could find any money they had not yet found. His family was again low on money from yet more hospital bills because of his grandma. They were already drained because of his dads trips to the hospital. He didn't like taking from the museum, but it gave him a little less worry when he knew they would have enough money to pay the bills for a couple months.

When they arrived they noticed Nerissa over in the corner examining a fur jacket.

She jumped in surprise and dropped the jacket when she herd them walk in.

"Hey Nerissa" he said. She looked as thin and frail as ever.

She did not respond.

"Nerissa?" he said again a bit louder

Luxa reached out to touch her shoulder, and Nerissa suddenly flipped around to face them her eyes wide. She got out a few words before she collapsed to the ground. What she said made Gregors heart drop. "The Prophecy of Death is upon us."

"What is the prophecy of death" Gregor said, breathless. His mind raced. Whatever the prophecy of death was, with a name like that it couldn't be good.

"I do not know, I have never seen it in the prophecy room, but we must get help!" she yelled.

They both ran out into the hallway and spotted a man dressed in leather and steel armor who was probably a guard walking by. 'We need a doctor now!" Gregor said "Nerissa has collapsed to the ground, unconscious in the museum!" Luxa continued. The underlander guards' eyes widened and he immediately ran off back the way he was walking.

They ran back to Nerissa and kneeled down next to her trying to shake her awake.

"Nerissa! Nerissa!" yelled Luxa, shaking Nerissas shoulders.

A few minutes later three doctors dressed in white silk came running in with a stretcher. Two of them picked her up by her shoulders and feet and put her on the stretcher and carried her out the door, while the third had his fingers against her neck checking for a pulse.

Gregor and Luxa followed the doctors down to the hospital there hearts beating faster with each step and watched as they set her down on a hospital bed. One of the doctors held up a white vial of what Gregor thought were smelling salts, to Nerissas nose and her eyes opened. Again she only said a few words before falling unconscious. "Prophecy room" was all she said. The prophecy room was a large stone room where a man known as Sandwich who led a group of people down to the underland in the 17th century, and wrote hundreds of prophecies on the walls ceiling and even the floor of the "prophecy room". He had locked himself in there carving words into the walls for weeks at a time.

One of the doctors asked them to leave the room and they stepped out into the hall. "What'd she mean?" said Gregor. Nerissa was well known for her "visions" which she claimed showed her the future. Some people believed her and some thought she was crazy. But she made a pretty convincing case when she predicted someone showing up at the edge of the jungle on the day they were supposed to go in search for the cure to a plague in the jungle.

"I do not know but I believe we should visit the prophecy room" Luxa exclaimed.

The two of them walked to the prophecy room in silence, not knowing what to say. After what had just happened they were both pretty much wordless. When thy arrived and stepped inside what they saw made them both gasp, and the blood in there veins rush down to there feet as they stood in the doorway as still as statues. Instead of a solid cubic room like there had always been, there was a large rectangular passage to the opposite of the door they just entered.


	2. the prophecy

"How did this happen!" Luxa said in awe.

"I don't know" he said back.

They both stood there staring at the passage way for a full minute. "I think what Nerissa was talking about will be through there." She said pointing to the passage way.

"Is sandwich ever going to give us a break" Gregor thought to himself. Every time he went down there was some new prophecy that says everyone might die! And with a title like that, he would bet the prophecy of death will to, whatever that was. How many of these things were there?

As they progressed down the passage the ground was slowly sloping downward. They walked for almost 15 minutes, then he began to see light up ahead. He guessed Nerissa must have lit an oil lamp. When they came out the other side there was another large cubic stone room but this time with only on part of the wall with writing engraved on it. Torches were lit to either side of the writing and the first line read The Prophecy of Death. The prophecy read…

The Prophecy of Death

What was destroyed shall be brought back

My prized possession broken in half

The gate between us shall crumble and fall

What was imprisoned long ago may bring death to us all

The warrior again shall take up my blade

Will he take light from what was long ago made?

Over and under shall be entwined

To rule land I left behind

Trapped beneath the earth hand in royal hand

The warrior shall never again see the overland

Many shall die

The overland shall fall

What has been know from the beginning

The overland shall fall

"Well isn't that great" Gregor said angrily. Unlike many of his other prophecies this one seemed pretty strait forward. He was going to have to fight something again. But what caught Gregors attention the most was the last 5 lines.

The warrior shall never again see the overland.

Many under shall die

The overland shall fall

What has been know from the beginning

All in the overland shall be destroyed

"That can't be true" he thought. He'd proven sandwiches prophecies wrong before… or had he? The prophecy of claw had said the warrior would die. Everyone in the underland thought he was the warrior and he believed it, after fulfilling all the prophecies about him and also he was a being a rager, which is a natural born killer, which sounder pretty warrior like. He did not die but he broke sandwiches sword, which was at the time his sword and said he would not be the warrior anymore, which was viewed by many as killing the warrior, but he didn't believe that was the case… but was it?

This prophecy was saying he could never go home. That just couldn't happen.

"I have to go home right now!" he yelled at no one in particular. His breath began to shorten and he became lightheaded as he thought about what this prophecy suggested.

Luxa was still standing motionless and silent staring at the prophecy.

"I don't believe that would be wise." She said.

"And why is that!" he yelled back at her.

"Do you not see what was written! It is obvious what sandwich predicted and the reason people are down here in the first place is what this prophecy is says is going to happen, and soon!" she replied.

"Do you really believe all of sandwiches mumbo jumbo!" he exclaimed.

"He has been correct in the past has he not?" she stated.

"But Ripred said…" he trailed off, still not sure If he should revel Ripreds opinion.

Ripred had told Gregor not to tell anyone he didn't believe sandwich's prophecies and he so as to avoid people having an even lower opinion of him than they already had.

But it was true. In some way all of sandwiches prophecies had come true. He was beginning to realize he wasn't meant to physically die in the prophecy of claw. Because this prophecy now says he should still be alive.

Was sandwich really some psychic prophet that predicted all the major events that would happen in the underland?

Gregor was again beginning to believe it. Ripred had convinced him before he killed the Bane that it was mostly all just coincidences and that they came true because people made them. But this was just too coincidental.

But it couldn't be true. The whole overland, destroyed? How could that even happen? Gregor couldn't stand anymore because of the weight of what he just read, so he sat down on the ground and leaned against the wall. This was too much, heed been through enough prophecies for a lifetime. And all of them had caused him a great deal of anguish and peril. It was like sandwich was trying to torture him until he could no longer go on.

"Gregor?" Luxa said with a worried sound to her voice "are you okay?"

"No" he said "I need to go home."

"Although I do not believe you should return, I cannot keep you here if you really wish to go back" Said Luxa, sadly.

"I don't know what to do anymore" mumbled Gregor.

Luxa came and sat down next to him and put her arms around him. Gregor fought back the urge to let the tears building behind his eyes fall down his face. This just couldn't be true. How could it be? Gregor couldn't even imagine how it possibly could. They sat that way for who know how long, when a group of underlanders walked curiously into the room, followed by Vikus.

"Luxa, Gregor!" shouted Vikus as he entered the room. "We have been looking everywhere for you!" He then noticed the prophecy written on the wall above there heads. He stood there for a minute reading the words of the prophecy of death. As he did Luxa stood up and walked over beside him. And his mouth fell open as he read the words. Gregor didn't move.

When Vikus finished reading he looked down at the floor deep in thought for a minute.

"Well this is unexpected" he mumbled to himself. "It has been concealed here for the past seven hundred years, right under our noses."

"I believe Nerissa somehow discovered it" Luxa told Vikus. "The last words she said before she collapsed, unconscious, were the Prophecy of Death is upon us."

"It cannot be coincidence our warrior arrives just as a prophecy that resides around the warrior is brought forth." Vikus announced. We must now decide what our next actions will be."

Gregor couldn't decide what to do. Was the destruction of the overland just another figure of speech like the death of the warrior, or was it really going to happen? Like in the prophecy of gray when he and Henry had both leaped of a cliff. Sandwiches prophecies were just too confusing. You never knew what he meant until everything was over.

If he went home and sandwich really did predict the death of everyone in the overland, his and everyone else's life would be over. If he stayed there was a better chance he could he would make it out alive whether sandwich was right or not. But what about his family? They were still up in the overland. He could never just leave his family up in the overland if it was going to be destroyed. Maybe he could get a message to them and have them come down to stay in the palace until this whole thing was over. But still, everyone else up there. What about them? He couldn't just let them all die.

He decided what to do next. It was the only thing he really could do at the moment.

Gregor lifted up his head "Vikus, can you find some way to get a message to my parents and have them come down to stay here until we get this whole thing sorted out?" He asked, trying to keep himself calm "I really don't know what to think right now, but I just want to be on the safe side." He had learned from past experience and he had been told on many occasions that it's better to be safe than sorry. This way he could pretty much guarantee there safety. He knew they would be well protected from anything in this stone palace.

"I could send a flier to the gateway in your building, and leave a note to have them meet someone to take them back, though there is no guarantee they will receive it in time. Said Vikus."

"Your right, I should just go up really quick and get them" he suggested almost unable to keep the quiver out of his voice..

"You can leave right away" he said "I will have a flier meet you on high hall."

He and the other underlanders headed out into the hallway. Gregor and Luxa stayed behind.

Luxa walked over and helped him up.

"You should probably get to high hall" she said "A flier will be waiting for you."

They both walked out into the hallway and up to high hall in silence. Neither of them were sure what to say at the moment. Gregor was having a hard time keeping from screaming. Screaming at sandwich for putting him through so much. For writing his stupid little prophecies.

When they arrived a large grey bat named Europhelus was waiting for Gregor over near the edge of the roof. "Greetings overlander" the bat purred as they approached.

"Hmph" Gregor grunted back

Europhelus flattened down on the ground in front of them. Luxa embraced Gregor in one last hug before he climbed onto the grey bat. "See you soon" Gregor said to Luxa as they took off. his brain was running in all different directions trying to figure out what was going to happen.

It didn't take long for them to reach the huge stone air shaft below his apartment building. They slowly began to ascend up the shaft as the air currents slowly pushed them upward.

Suddenly, whoosh! Something huge flew downward past them then hit the bottom of the shaft. Gregor felt a rush of adrenaline as it nearly knocked Gregor off Europhelus. They hovered there for a moment to see what had just fallen and suddenly another, smaller object flew past them. "Rocks!" the bat yelled and began to descend back toward the entrance.

Gregors heart was pumping a mile a minute as, slowly, more and more rocks began showering down around them as Europhelus flew back down the shaft as fast as his wings could carry them. Sweat beads flew off his face as they projected downward with increasing speed. They flew out just as a humongous boulder crashed to the bottom, behind them completely blocking the hole.

They hovered in the air for a moment in awe at what just happened, and then Gregor noticed something ahead in the distance crash to he ground. Then something hit the ground just to the right of them hit the ground just barely missing the bats wing. It was like the whole underland was falling down around them.


End file.
